I'm sure info will flow in sooner or later ... Besides, they haven't competed in a major tournament under him yet

I'm not so sure, unless someone hires me to do their PR Nah, seriously, normally you would think Stielike, who is not really a no-name, would be getting more media exposure... I only recall ONE interview since he took over... well, maybe he isn't seeking publicity + but is secretly building networks to feed Ivorian talent into Germany

Quote:

Originally Posted by madtherchot

Both Ivorian sites are French ... never like the Alliance Française part-time classes in addition to normal school back in the day. I'm still actually looking for a good website with African news ... can you imagine

Thing is you CANT argue... you just twist and make shit up! HAH! Zamalek and Al Ahly can both go to hell for all I care.

If you don't care then you can shut the fuck up ... I'm not going to argue with someone about two football teams he doesn't give a shit about; I don't give a fuck about Al Ahly and I think they suck ... Zamalek all the way.

Three-time African Footballer of the Year Abedi 'Pele' Ayew has launched an appeal to clear his name of match-fixing.

The former Black Star, who owns and manages Nania FC, was among officials from several clubs who were banned last week for one year after being accused of match-fixing.

Nania's 31-0 win over Okwawu United and Mighty Jets' 28-0 defeat at the hands of Great Mariners prompted the Ghana Football Association to investigate.

"I will go wherever I can to get justice as we have been banned on conjecture," Pele told BBC Sport.

Pele has filed an appeal with the help of a lawyer, who will fight to overturn the verdict against Nania.

Apart from the bans on the club officials, all four clubs were demoted from Ghana's second tier to the fourth tier and fined US$20,000.

Yet Pele is angry with the decision.

"There was no evidence that before, during or after the match, the officials of Okwahu United and myself and/or any of my officials engaged in any form of discussion or even camaraderie - nor did any such thing ever take place," he said in a statement.

"What then did we do wrong?"

"The only possible accusation is that my team scored more goals.

"And if that is the case, my contention is that while the scoreline may raise eyebrows, it does not point to an irrefutable conclusion that the match was fixed.

"At the height of my career and even that of Maradona or the legendary Pele, it is very possible to record that score against a team featuring six players and a seventh in goal who is not a natural goalkeeper."

Okwahu finished the game, in which Nania even missed a penalty, with seven men after a number of injuries, which forced an outfield player into goal.

"Maybe my strikers should be educated that when they are next playing with a superior numerical advantage, they should refrain from scoring more goals to avoid being banned," Abedi stated.

"I have also been advised that my players were not treated fairly but I will leave that to my lawyers to handle."

"Scorelines in football may be baffling but cannot be the basis for judging a match as fixed," the 1982 African Nations Cup winner emphasised.

He used last week's Uefa Champions League game when England's Manchester United thrashed AS Roma of Italy 7-1 to buttress his point.

"The recent score between Manchester United and Roma could have recorded a cricket score if Roma had been reduced to seven men.

"In the statutes of Fifa, it is spelt out clearly that there must be evidence of such impropriety before sanctions can be imposed.

"If there is a video recording of the game, I would love for it to be played so that everybody will be able to judge for themselves."

The GFA is expected to meet soon to fix a date to look into the appeals submitted by Nania and the other three clubs.

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Who does he think he can fool ? Scoring 28 or 29 goals in 45 min is NOT normal + can't just be explained away with special circumstances such as a numerically weakened (by most likely *dubious* injuries ) opponent.

He surely is, I think he can never be something now ... or even if he did become a star he won't last for long, at 26 and still playing in Turkey ... too bad for such a talented player like him.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Passion for *9*

Who does he think he can fool ? Scoring 28 or 29 goals in 45 min is NOT normal + can't just be explained away with special circumstances such as a numerically weakened (by most likely *dubious* injuries ) opponent.

What the heck? Corruption everywhere.

BTW, Zamalek just lost now 2-1 and out of the ACL [Arab Champions League] semis, I know it's a crap tournament and nobody gives a fuck about it but you are paid to do something. Third consecutive trophyless season.

Well, I think the reason he moved to Fener from Juve was to become a regular starter + play in the UCL (something Fener is very capable of doing consistently). Fener always seems to show promise as well, acquiring a lot of talent. Hard to call since their buys so far didn't make the desired impact, but they're still trying. + Turkish chicks always come into the decision

But probably he should start thinking of moving West. I'd like to see him at Lyon or maybe even the Bundesliga (Werder ) since Ghanaians don't do the French ...

The preliminary matches of this year’s Council of Southern African Football Associations (COSAFA) Castle Cup begin this weekend, April 28-29 with Group A.The four teams involved are hosts Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Madagascar and Seychelles.

Like last year, the twelve countries in the region have been divided into three groups of four teams with the three winners qualifying to meet defending Champions Zambia ( ) at the last four.

The Castle Cup, which is the regional tournament for teams from Southern Africa is in its eleventh year and the first under new COSAFA President, Suketu Patel; elected last year.

The championships, arguably the most competitive regional tournament on the continent has often served as a form of preparation for Southern African participants during major international events.

For this weekend’s matches billed for the Machava Stadium in Maputo, Madagascar will clash with Zimbabwe in the opening match while hosts Mozambique meets Seychelles later on Saturday.

The winners of the two games will progressed to Sunday’s final with the losers battling it out for the third place. The winner of the final will represent the group at the last four.

On the matches, Seychelles who caused a major upset at this stage of last year’s competition by beating highly fancied Namibia 4-2 on penalties before losing out to Zimbabwe for the only slot; are optimistic of causing yet another surprise.

Coming face to face against The “Mambas” (Mozambique), Seychelles coach Raoul Shungu is counting on the inclusion of uncapped midfielder Achille Henriette, who turns 20, twenty four hours before kick off for another giant killing exercise.

The Warriors (Zimbabwe) on the otherhand have vested much hope into the young squad named by coach Charles Mhlauri to edge past Madagascar, who appointed former French Ligue 1 player, Herve Arsene last week as their new trainer.

The Warriors made it to the last four of the previous competition and have tasked themselves with at least a final berth this time round.

The COSAFA Competition has produced some surprising results in the previous years, with often underrated teams being the architect of those feats.

For the records, Zimbabwe, Angola and Zambia share the highest number of wins at the annual event, three apiece with South Africa once in 2002.

Zambia captain Christopher Katongo is opposed to plans to recruit a foreign coach for the rest of the Nations Cup qualifiers.

Local coach Patrick Phiri has been in charge on temporary basis since former international Kalusha Bwalya quit his post last year.

Zambia are third in Group 11 and must win their remaining matches against Congo, Chad and South Africa to qualify for the Nations Cup in Ghana next year.

The Football Association of Zambia (Faz) has now appointed a six-member committee headed by Bwalya to look for an expatriate coach.

But Katongo, who plays Danish side Brondby, says Phiri should be left to guide the Chipolopolo in the last three qualifiers.

"My job is to play football and I will accept whoever is appointed to coach the team whether local or foreign coach," Katongo told BBC Sport.

"It is too late for a new coach to take over for the remaining three games.

"But if it is for the 2010 Nations Cup and World Cup qualifiers, he can come and work with our local coaches.

"I insist that Phiri must finish what he started."

Katongo added that Faz should concentrate on organising friendly matches for the team ahead of their remaining qualifiers.

"I think they should rather be talking about big friendly games ahead of the crucial matches we have to play in the qualifiers," he noted.

Nigerian Stephen Keshi, who recently returned to Togo for his second stint as the coach of the Hawks, is still regarded by Faz as a possible candidate to coach Zambia.

Brazilian Edson Silva, former Hungary coach Bertalan Bicskei and Englishman James Duffy are also being considered.

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Its all going downhill from here I feel Katongo does have a point ... but why wasn't making statements earlier during the CAF 2008 campaign?!! If Phiri failed to beat RSA in Lusaka, what makes Katongo think he'll turn things around in Joberg?

World football's governing body FIFA on Friday gave the thumbs up to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, saying its doubts about security and logistics for the event have been dispelled.

"South Africa, we trust you," FIFA President Sepp Blatter announced after a meeting of governing body chiefs here."The executive committee is now convinced that South Africa will be a good host for the World Cup," he added. "Today they all stand united behind South Africa and the organisation of this important competition."

Blatter said a key confidence-building step had been taken by the South African government in February with its approval of an additional budget to tackle security for fans and visitors, transport and logistics.

FIFA had reiterated concern at the lack of progress on building work for new stadiums in South Africa at its last executive commitee meeting in December, when Blatter called for "a little bit of fire" in the preparations.

South African World Cup chief executive Danny Jordaan had pledged that all unfinished stadiums would be ready by October 2007.

Horst R. Schmidt, vice president of the 2010 organising committee told a German newspaper Thursday that the organisers were on schedule."I do not doubt for a second that the World Cup will take place in South Africa, it will be a different World Cup from the one which took place last summer in Germany, but it will certainly not be any less impressive," added Schmidt, who is also general secretary of the German Football Federation (DFB).

======================

I have no doubts in the infrastructure being put into place in time. What bothers me is security since the well equipped (by developed country standards) South African police + other 'crime fighters' have failed to establish order for many years. I'm not certain at the moment, but at one time, Johannesburg had the highest crime rate amongst all cities in the world. Huge investment in security for the world cup can be used as an excuse to tackle a problem that has troubled South Africans for quite sometime now. It would be really pleasing to see football affecting a country in a positive way.

Other than the crime factor, South Africa is a beautiful country + probably is the most diverse. I'm sure it'll be a cracking world cup + hopefully with a first African winner. But the real victory for Africa would be a smooth running, event-free, world cup. All the best to the organizers.

We could have finished it with five goals or more, was a one sided game and we even wasted a penalty, I'm glad though that we won. Thanks to the players who acted in a heroic spirit, and ofcourse Henry Michel who was absolutely brilliant. Well done lads!

African football powerhouse, Nigeria dominates the last eight of the Confederations Cup, with the qualification of Kwara United and 2005 losing finalists, Dolphins over the weekend. The continents most populous country, thus have two representatives for the group stages with the remaining six scattered around the continent. Kwara United pipped domestic rivals Nasarawa United by a lone goal in the all Nigerian affair at Ilorin, thanks to an 80th minute strike from Ghanaian import Ahmed Mohammed.

Kwara, thus advanced on a 2-1 aggregate after the first leg ended 1-1. In Calabar, Dolphins edged out Togolese outfit, Maranatha Fiokpo courtesy a 2-0 scoreline despite initial protests from some players over unpaid salaries. Striker Biola Bello opened the scorings in the 7th minute before Eze Nwobike made it two in the second half. Egyptian side, Ismaili ended the hopes of Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca by beating them 2-0 on Friday, to confirm their place in the last eight.

Ahmed Samir Farag broke the deadlock on the quarter-hour mark before Mohammed Abdul Wahed Shuttered the hopes of the Moroccans with the second on stoppage time. French coach of Ismaili, Patrice Neveu convinced with his sides performance said “We deserved this victory as we were the better side.”Neveu has also set his mind on the ultimate, which he has described as one of his targets for the season after losing out on the league title to rivals Al Ahly.
South African champions, Mamelodi Sundowns inched closer to their hopes of a continental title this year as they held Tunisian side Gafsa to a one all draw away to advance on a 3-2 aggregate.

Gafsa, making a debut appearance in the continental club series took an early lead through Radhouene Ben Ouannes as early as the sixth minutes which annulled the 1-2 loss in the first leg.But eight minutes later, Zimbabwean veteran striker Peter Ndlovu broke the hearts of the home fans with the equalizer.

In Sfax, CS Sfaxien made certain of a representative for Tunisia as they hammered Coton Sport of Cameroon 4-0 to progress on a 5-2 aggregate. A brace from Hamza Sellimi and one each from playmaker, AbdelKarim Nafti and Hamza Younes ensured last years Champions league losing finalists passage to the next stage.Astres Douala restored hope for Cameroon as they beat Congolese side, Etoile 2-0 to advance on a 3-2 aggregate.A goal each from Amia Ekanga and Paul Ncha ensured Astres’ progress. Al Merreikh of Sudan made history by qualifying for group stages of the competition at the expense of Young Africans of Tanzania.

The Sudanese side beat their guests 2-0 with goals from Faisal Ajab and Abdel Hamid Saudy in the 27th and 36th minutes respectively.Merreikh’s feat means that Sudan is represented in both club competitions with Al Hilal in the CAF Champions League.TP Mazembe routed Zimbabwes Mwana Africa 3-1 in Harare for a place in the last eight carrying a lone goal victory from the first leg. Striker Kaluyituka Diyoko, Mputu Mabi and Mvete Luyeye scored for the Lubumbashi-based club while Webster Muronda grabbed a consolation for the homesters.

The final eight clubs are Ismaili, TP Mazembe, Mamelodi Sundowns, Astres Douala, CS Sfaxien, Al-Merreikh, Dolphin, Kwara United. The draw for the competition is fixed for May 28 in Zurich with the winner expected to bag $300,000.

Chelsea Football Club is embarking on our first humanitarian visit to Africa with our Global Charity Partner, Right To Play.

Manager José Mourinho, Chelsea FC Player of the Year and Ghanaian international Michael Essien and several young players will be in Ghana from May 29 until June 3 to visit projects run by Right To Play.

The visit is the first major initiative in the six-year partnership announced between Chelsea and Right To Play at the House of Commons in January 2007. Chelsea will also be bringing several coaches on the trip, headed by Academy manager Neil Bath.

Chelsea will be conducting play sessions for children in Accra and Tamale as well as holding coaching demonstrations for the Right To Play coaches who are integral to the charity's purpose of raising awareness about disease, war and poverty through sport.

Mourinho said: 'Everyone at the club is fully behind the work of Right To Play and we are all proud to support them. I'm sure our relationship will benefit thousands of kids throughout the world, starting with this visit to Ghana.

'Sport, particularly football, has a certain power. It is a world language, something where cultural difference does not matter. If you are in London, Lisbon or Accra, if you put down two pieces of clothing for a goal and wrap some paper into a ball and start to kick it, everyone knows what you are doing, there is no need to explain it.

'Because it is the world language you can reach everybody and if you have a big status in the game you have a big responsibility to use that power properly. And what better way to use it than for kids around the world to be healthier, fitter, fight disease, war, poverty. Football can and should help with this. It also reminds you that there are more important things than football.'

Essien, who is one of the Chelsea/Right To Play Ambassadors, added: 'As a Chelsea and Ghana player it is great to make a commitment to helping children in Africa and other areas of the world. I am particularly looking forward to getting involved in my home country.'

Chelsea chose Right To Play as our Global Charity Partner because of its approach to global citizenship. It is also a "recognised organisation" by the International Olympic Committee.

It works not only with disadvantaged communities and countries around the world but also with those who can use their position in society to become advocates of the charity's aims and raise awareness about them by using the positive power of sport.

Chris Robinson, Right To Play's UK Director, said: 'It shows how serious Chelsea are about our long-term partnership that this visit to Ghana to see our work in the field was one of the first things we discussed. It is going to be inspiring for our local Right To Play coaches and, of course, the children to have Chelsea players and coaches showing such direct interest in them.

'I am sure the week will have a tremendous positive impact and we are really impressed how enthusiastic everyone at Chelsea have been about the trip particularly because it eats into precious close-season personal time.'

The trip has a dual role for Chelsea. As well as being a major initiative in the club's Corporate Social Responsibility Programme, it also serves as part of our young players' education in what is expected of them as first team players of the future.

^^ Thats pretty strange + caught me by surprise since I was always under the impression that:

CIV, like Mali and Senegal, had just started reaping the benefits of investing in some youth + facility programs in the '90s. It was well publicized, and if I remember, nationwide projects. Guess the sources weren't particularly accurate.

Isn't the CIV in equatorial Western Africa? Surely there wouldn't be any water supply issues. Just plant the grass + add the right soil, and nature will take its course.

On other news, the African Union has named 2007 an 'international year for African football.' A bit late, seeing that half of the year's almost done
A lot of faith has been shown from many quarters in South Africa's capacity to adequately prepare for the WC 2010. Lets hope the organizers are on top of it.

^^ Thats pretty strange + caught me by surprise since I was always under the impression that:

CIV, like Mali and Senegal, had just started reaping the benefits of investing in some youth + facility programs in the '90s. It was well publicized, and if I remember, nationwide projects. Guess the sources weren't particularly accurate.

Isn't the CIV in equatorial Western Africa? Surely there wouldn't be any water supply issues. Just plant the grass + add the right soil, and nature will take its course.

I'm not so sure about that, I do think they have drier spells inland + less rain, or only one rainy season or sth (bah, climatology = 8th grade geography in Germany) + you need irrigation to grow a nice green lawn, but the reason why the stadium was pretty much a dump before renovation started in April is that Bouake was the HQ of the (ex)-'rebel forces' who were probably keener on parading their firearms than call for a weekly subbotnik (or sth) to keep the place in a decent condition